A different Path
by Bwonsamdi'sBlade
Summary: Kil'ruk was awoken by an unsuspecting hunter, who thought the amber case was actually a gem of some sort. I bet you can imagine her surprise when she finds a mantid inside. Kil'ruk doesn't want to be with the Klaxxi anymore. He wants freedom, and Kayro teaches him a few things on finding yourself.


(This is my first fanfic, all comments are welcome and accepted, for improvement or praise alike. Probably the former. I'm not used to people reading it, and if there's anything I need to improve, let me know. They really need a "mantid" section, because I swear I'm obsessed. Rated T due to later fights and possibly one certain character saying some stuff she shouldn't.)

The will of the Klaxxi is eternal. Blinded by the will of the Klaxxi, doing as they say when they say. It is forever that one serves the Klaxxi, the will of the Klaxxi. Stuck to them. Bound by them. Forever. Called when needed, encased in amber when not. Such is the way of the Klaxxi.

Such thoughts spiralled through Kil'ruks mind, as they did everyday. The paragon was distracted by them, often wondering what it was like to be free. Yes. Kil'ruk wanted to be free from their will, to not hear it anymore. So much suffering it had caused him. He didn't pick to be encased in amber, summoned when he was needed; consequently being bound to his wakener.

Such were the thoughts, when Kil'ruk was awakened. One moment, he was encased, surrounded, trapped by what had kept him alive. The next, huge cracks appeared in the amber shield, and it exploded. The mantid inside took deep breaths, gulping down as much air as he could get into his lungs. He bent over, amber spewing from his mouth. Kil'ruk ignored that he was suspect to attack. He coughed, sensing someone nearby, watching him intently.

The last of the amber dribbled out, and Kil'ruk opened his eyes fully, seeing the world for the first time in what seemed like centuries. The once lush green plains had turned grey, a white mist seeping off of everything. He was in a swamp, standing in the remains of his amber and rank water. The paragon stood upright, reaching his full height of eight feet, giving his wings a little buzz. They were why he was a paragon. Years ago, Kil'ruk had learned to dive from higher up than any Klaxxi had before. He had survived his swarm and been encased, not being alive even a year. He was still young.

Now, Kil'ruk looked at whom had released him from his prison. A rather small creature was standing in front of him. Female, she had green eyes, long ears, deep chestnut brown hair held in a ponytail, and pale skin. She had no wings, no antennae or carapace. Unless her armour counted. It was strange looking, brown with mail links over it. She held a plain bow, arrows strapped to her back. She too, was looking at the mantid before her with interest. Kil'ruk knew what she saw. An insect like body, standing on its back legs. It's carapace was amber coloured, with its "arms" tucked in neatly. Bee like wings were on its back. Antennae on its head, twitching in curiosity and rather large eyes.

Kil'ruk clicked uncertainly. He had never seen a creature like this before, but inside he knew she was his wakener, due to the connection he felt to her. A need to protect her. Like an alpha male with his pack. Fight for her to the death. It was a strange feeling, and Kil'ruk didn't like it. Tradition was tradition, and he started the conversation.

"Thank you wakener." He felt weak, and swayed a little as he spoke. His throat was hoarse, causing him to rasp his words. He blinked at the girl, whom held out some amber and put it on the floor slowly. Kil'ruk scooped it up, eager to taste the life giving juices it held. The girl waited patiently for him to finish.

"So, wakener." Kil'ruk said the word with some hatred. "What are you?" He felt stronger now, more ready for a fight.

"My name is Kayro, I'm a blood elf hunter." She seemed shy.

Kil'ruk clicked his mouth piece again, tilting his head. "Blood elf?" He found it a strange name. "Kayro..." He spoke her name, feeling how easily it rolled off his tongue. Kayro nodded. Kil'ruk repeated the name again, quite liking it. Not as good as his, obviously, but still, pretty good. "I'm Kil'ruk the wind-reaver." The paragon introduced himself.

"Kil...ruk..." The girl said it slowly, the word strange to her. "Kil'ruk." She said, more confident of it now. She looked at him. "How do you feel Kil'ruk?" She asked, pointing at the remains of his amber casing.

"As well as I could feel." He paddled his feet, giving his wings a buzz. He suddenly seemed distracted, tilting his head upwards, as if listening to something. A white light shone around him, illuminating the area and causing a stag to scatter. "Yes Klaxxi. I hear the call no longer. The empress must be replaced.I come now." He snapped his carapace a little, stretching his wings and preparing for take off.

"Klaxxi?" Kayro repeated.

Kil'ruk stopped in his tracks. The girl, she was his wakener. How did she not know of the Klaxxi? He turned to her. "They are the council of all mantid. The ones who I am bound to. They have taken over the remaining sane mantid, and prepare to dispose of the mantid queen. They sent you to awaken me, did they not?"

"No. No Klaxxi sent me. I kinda...found this other mantid, who was being attacked by this other mantid. I killed the evil one, but was too late to save the nice mantid. He gave me this fork." She held up a prong of metal. An amber tuning fork, as it was called. "He told me to strike the amber casing. So I did. No idea you were in it though."

So...Kil'ruk thought. A hunter caught up in events she didn't understand. Interesting. "When you awakened me, I was freed from a prison I've remained in for a long long time. Without the Klaxxi here..." He trailed off. "I must get to them as soon as possible." A mantid paragon awakened without Klaxxi help was like pulling a body of life support without the person on it being ready. Kil'ruk needed to get to the Klaxxi soon, before he suffered greatly. Returning to the Klaxxi meant the Kil'ruk would have to do as they said. Not something he wanted anymore.

Kayro looked at Kil'ruk, watching as he leant down a little. She blinked, when he clicked at her. "What?" She asked, confused.

Kil'ruk swallowed the urge to hiss irritably. "Hop on." He said.

Sitting in the back of a mantid paragon. A honour in itself. Kayro thought it through, thinking how best to mount up. Kil'ruk was three to four times her height, meaning he had to bend down a lot for her to clamber on. Kayro ignored the fact that most of Kil'ruks body was covered in sharp spikes, and sat above his wings, where she could hold onto a piece of his hard outer shell that stuck out a little.

"Ready?" Kil'ruk asked, after Kayro had stopped squirming.

"As I'll ever be." She said, trying to not let fear creep into her voice, which it did anyway.

Kil'ruk nodded, and with a buzz of his wings, the pair were lifted into the sky. High up, Kil'ruk could see the damage done by the mantid queen. No longer was the grass green, or the sky blue. This land had once been called Sker'Klax; which translated to "the mantids song". No longer was it that place. No. Kil'ruk thought the name Dread Wastes suited it better. It went with the sense of fear that he got whenever he looked at the palace of the mantid queen.

Soon enough, Kil'ruk and Kayro saw Klaxxi'vess. He heard Kayro gasp aloud when she saw it.

It looked beautiful in a frightening way, with tall spires surrounding it. In the middle, a huge pillar of amber. Several mantid were standing around it, seeming to be channeling a powerful spell. Kil'ruk turned to look at his passenger.

"When we land, don't make any sudden movements. The council won't hesitate to harm you if they feel you are a threat, even if you are my wakener. Only speak when spoken to. Let me do the explaining." Kil'ruk felt a little protective of the girl, whom nodded at his advice. "Good." He looked away, preparing to land.

The Klaxxi turned, forgetting their spell work when the paragon landed near them. The council were huge, towering over Kil'ruk and easily three or four times the size of him. They all looked a little like Kil'ruk, insect like, huge eyes. These ones however, wore robes. They all looked at Kil'ruk, then to the girl, but none of them spoke. Instead, a small one, about the size of Kayro, stepped forward.

Kor'ik. Midget mantid, yet of great power. Even the huge members of the Klaxxi were wary of him. Spells would fly, and carapace would be burned.

"Kil'ruk. You are the first of many to be awakened. The empress has fallen to corruption. We need you to join our cause." Kor'ik seemed pushy, ordering this and that to be done. He didn't wait for an answer. Kayro had gone unnoticed by him, but as Kil'ruk bowed low, Kor'ik caught sight of her. He let out an angry screech, blabbing out words in an insanely fast manner. Kayro barely caught what he said, until he slowed down.

"Dispose of it. No fleshy creature, wakener or no wakener, is allowed in out sanctum! They are too likely to be of sha corruption! She could be working for the sha! For the empress! Kill her where she stands and be done with it." Kor'ik wasn't happy with her presence, judging by the fact he gave a stomp on the ground as he finished his words.

"Of course, Kor'ik." Kil'ruk nodded, baring his blades of a,near at the ready. Kayro felt her blood run cold, her heart stop. Kayro. Kayro the Kingslayer. She'd defeated the Lich King, been there when Deathwing had been downed, slain the Sha of anger. Maybe, her lucky streak was over. Kil'ruk stepped back, preparing to remove her head with one clean swipe. He was about to strike when a Mantid elder yelled out.

"Stop!"

Kil'ruk lowered his blade, turning to the one who had spoken. "I beg pardon." He said, cocking his head. Kayro gave a silent sigh of relief.

"Leave the girl alive. I sense no corruption within her. If she can't be trusted, we'll remove her later. If she can be trusted, she'll be of great value. She can fit in places we can't." He seemed the eldest, and everyone granted him respect.

"Of course. What do you have her do?" Kil'ruk said, bowing again.

"Lets see..." The elder began to give her a list of what to do. All the while, Kor'ik glared at her, and Kayro got the feeling he wasn't amused. He was going to be trouble; but nothing could prepare her for the next few weeks she'd endure

(Hope you liked it. Please do review. Yes, I know. I need to improve my endings, but I'll work on that. I wanted this out there, just to give you a taste of my style. Thanks for reading.)


End file.
